ghost witch of the pass

"There she is!" "Don't let her get away! "Halt, Airbender! In the name of the Fire Lord!"

Malu panted as she ran through the forest, all the while berating herself. Here she had been surviving fine by herself in the mountains, using her airbending to make people think the area was haunted.

'Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could you have let yourself get so careless?'

She had already sustained some injuries: there was a burn patch on one of her arms, and a gash on the back of one leg where one of the non-bending soldiers had gotten lucky with his sword.

Fatigue was starting to set in; Malu could feel the twinge in her left side as it blossomed into a full-blown cramp. She started to slow down, even though she tried to push herself to keep going.

Suddenly there was a roaring sound behind her, and before Malu could turn around she felt the searing pain and heat. Belatedly she realized I'm on fire! as the flames licked at her skin and uniform.

The teenaged Ghost Witch let out a scream of pain as she fell forward...